Blank Space
by AnnoyingTiger88
Summary: ( Trial Story ) Ryan (OC) is the half-demon, half-human cousin of Sam and Dean Winchester. Join her as her loyalties are tested, as she finds friendship and family. This story begins the day Dean is brought back from Hell.
1. Back Again

**Blank Space**

**A Supernatural Fanfic**

Ryan Winchester is 21-years-old, cousin to Sam and Dean. Her mother, Elly, is the sister to Sam and Dean's father. Her own father has been MIA since she was concieved. She grew up being completely ignored by her mother, while her uncle treated her with caution. At the age of seven, she went to live with her uncle who traveled around for work. She had no idea at the time that it was arranged for Jon to watch her, not because she's family, but because she's a monster. As she grew up, however, Jon became close to her and, eventually, adopted her as his own daughter. Sam and Dean both grew up treating her like a sister, despite knowing that she's their cousin.

The reason behind everyone's fear and suspicion has to do with her father, a demon. Neither human nor demon, Ryan has struggled her whole life trying to find a place to belong. The only place she's ever felt at home was when she was with her brothers. But when things go sour, can she keep up the relationship? Or will other loyalties cause her to betray the boys she grew up with?

**( Sioux Falls, South Dakota )**

I swallowed down my nerves and raised my shaking fist, pausing just before my knuckles could make contact with the wood. It had been at least a year since I last saw Bobby, and I was sure that he was angry at me for not helping Sam find a way to free Dean from his contract. I wasn't even there when he died, nor was I there when they buried him. Even so, I **had** to speak to Bobby about the way the demons have been acting lately. I knew that, so why couldn't I bring myself to knock on that damn door? Maybe Bobby had figured it out on his own. Maybe I didn't need to be here.

"Oh for Pete's sake." Jackson pushed me aside and slammed his fist on the door before backing away and pushing me to stand in my previous spot. "Now, was that so hard?"

"The knocking wasn't the hard part, you a -"

The door swung open, but it wasn't Bobby that answered, as I had expected, but my very own dead brother. I blinked a few times, feeling my mind go blank as I turned to face my best friend.

"Hit me,"

"When did we start playing blackjack and why wasn't I invited?"

"Just hit m -"

His fist came in contact with my stomach and I grunted in discomfort, narrowing my eyes at him. His response came with a half shrug.

"You told me to hit you."

"Not in the stomach, you asshat!" I growled, punching him in the same spot. He groaned out in pain, clutching his belly as he leaned against the porch beam for support. "Oops,"

"You nearly bust my spleen open and 'oops' is all you can say?!"

"My bad,"

"I am going to kill you!"

"You don't have that kind of power, bro."

Someone cleared their throat and I turned back around, coming face to face with a bemused Dean Winchester. The situation clicked in my mind.

"Oh... I'm not dreaming."

"It's been a while, sis." Dean opened his arms for a hug, but they slowly returned to his side when I didn't budge. "What, you didn't miss me?"

"You're dead," I blurted, gaining Jackson's full attention as he came to my side.

"He's a zombie?"

Dean scowled at him. They never had gotten along when he was alive. "I'm not a zombie."

"You're dead," I repeated, as if that would somehow make sense of the situation.

"So he's a zombie."

"I'm not a zombie!"

"What're you yellin' about, boy?" Bobby walked up behind Dean, giving him an annoyed look before turning his attention to us, his eyes squinting. "Oh, it's you two."

I cleared my throat. "Hello, Bobby."

Dean scoffed, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the door frame. "Bobby gets a 'hello' and all I get is a 'you're dead'? That hardly seems fair, kiddo."

Bobby rolled his eyes, pushing him away from the door. "You're _supposed_ to be dead, can you blame her? Don't just stand there, get inside."

I hesitated to do so, still in shock at the news that my big brother was, in fact, alive and well, but with a shove from Jackson, I followed the pair to his living room where Jacks pulled me down on the couch.

"Oi, why are you being so stiff? That ain't like you." He whispered, wrapping his arm around my own. It comforted me and he knew it.

"My brother is supposed to be in hell right now. I think I'm allowed to freak a bit!" I whispered back before looking at the pair watching us. I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "Dean... you look, umm... well."

He grinned, that arrogant little tilt of the lips, and folded his arms over his chest. "It's me, Ryan. Of course I'd look good even being dead!"

My eye twitched in annoyance. "Yeah, that's definitely him. No one could duplicate that arrogance."

"So he's not a zombie?"

Jackson's comment made it sink in and I jumped off the couch, crossing the room in just a few steps and wrapping my arms around my brother. Hearing his heart beating in his chest was comforting. Dean's alive. He's alive and standing here before me.

"I missed you."

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around me. "You've gotten kinda slow since I've been gone, kiddo."

"So~, not a zombie?"

"I'm/He's not a zombie!"

"Good to know you're still as annoying as ever!" Dean scowled.

"All this catching up is just fine and dancy, but if you haven't noticed, we have a bit of an issue here." Bobby commented, leaning against his desk. "Did you two have anything to do with this?"

"No. I wasn't even aware that a creature existed strong enough to rip someone from hell's grip." I responded, refusing to meet his suspicious gaze.

"Seems kinda funny to me. You disappear for a year without so much as a word then you suddenly show up the day Dean's brought back from the dead." He wasn't angry, I knew. Anger I could handle. He was suspicious, disappointed even. That wasn't something I was equipped to handle, especially coming from someone I cared so deeply about.

Dean studied my face and I did my best to keep a blank expression. Thankfully, Sam was the one who could see through me, not Dean. He turned back to Bobby. "She has no reason to lie to us. If she did it, she'd probably be demanding soda for her trouble."

Jackson sprung up off the couch, throwing his arm around my shoulder with a grin lighting up his features. "Yup, we sprung you from hell. You can thank us by buying us some food. Maybe a movie, too."

"I am not taking you on a date, brat. Now sit down and shut up." Dean scowled, hand twitching to throw something at the blonde.

I sighed, brushing his arm away. "The amount of power it would take to pull something like that off would be close to godlike abilities. Surely nothing a normal demon could pull off. As for why I'm here... the demons have been restless as of late and rumors have been spreading like fire. They say something big is coming."

"Dean, here, has something to do with that, I imagine." Jacks commented as he flopped back on the couch, picking up a rather old book. He fingered through the parchment-like paper with mild interest. "If it's god-like abilities... what about angels?"

"That's a good one," Dean laughed.

"Is it really such a far fetched idea?" He dropped the book back on the table, sending me a look asking for back up.

"Angels don't exist."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I only believe what I can see with my own two eyes."

"It's a far fetched idea," I sighed, closing my eyes. "Simply because there's no hunter alive that has so much as heard a rumor of angels. At the same time, it seems almost foolish to believe in demons and hell, without also believing in angels and heaven. I mean, all this time we assumed it was just demons versus humans, bad versus good. But what if it's not so simple? We have to look at _every_ possibility, Dean."

"Fine, but that's not a possibility." He paused, as if realizing something. "Where's Sammy?"

The room went quiet. I met Bobby's eyes for the first time and he motioned to Dean, mouthing that I should be the one to tell him. Though it did make sense, I really didn't want to be the one to let Dean know that Sam had been MIA since his death. I cleared my throat, ready to explain when Jacks cut me off.

"We don't know,"

"What the hell do you mean, you 'don't know'? Ryan, where the hell is Sam?"

"He took off after you were buried. He didn't keep contact with anyone." I looked out the window, feeling guilt settle on my mind. There was more that I just wasn't saying, but I decided to keep it to myself, at least for now.

"You're supposed to be watching him! Damn it, Ryan!" He grabbed Bobby's phone and started making calls.

I swallowed hard. "You got any soda, Bobby?"

"I think I have a can or two." Bobby pushed away from his desk and I followed him to the kitchen. He tossed me a cola. "Thanks,"

"There's something you ain't tellin'. What is it?"

I fell into the kitchen chair, giving the caffeine a few minutes to enter my system. It was my own personal drug that helped me deal with stress. Of course, being half-demon, it took quite a few cans to have a real effect. "I've seen Sam since Dean died."

"And why didn't you tell Dean that?"

"It didn't exactly end well." I fiddled with the can, thinking back to that day. "He blamed me, saying it's all my fault that Dean was dead. Long story short, he told me to never speak to him again, that he wanted nothing to do with me. All but said he hated me."

"He took his brother's death really hard, you know that. It was even harder for him, not having you around for support. Do you know how many times that boy called you? How many times he called me, looking for you?"

"If I could have been there, I would have. I had some... _personal_ issues to deal with, that I couldn't get away from. I tried, Bobby. I really tried."

He sighed, resting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I won't bother askin' 'cause I know you won't tell me, but he's practically your brother -"

"'_Practically_'," I scoffed, downing the rest of my soda before crushing the can in my fist. "I'm not the real thing, Bobby. I'm **not** their sister and, at the end of the day, the feelings are different."

He opened his mouth to respond when Dean yelled his name. He sent me a look to let me know this conversation was far from over. He really should know better by now.

Jackson entered as Bobby left. "He found Sam. We following?"

"No point," I stood up, throwing my can away before heading towards the door. "We have our own schedule to keep."

"We're just gonna leave? They're already mad, if we -"

"Exactly. They're already mad," I grinned. "How much angrier can they become, really?"

He sighed in defeat and followed me out to the car. "Where are we going?"

"We hunt down the thing that saved Dean's ass and find out why."

"That's great and all, but there's one problem: we don't know what or how. Oh wait... that's two problems." His brow furrowed.

I chuckled, looking at the shrinking junkyard in my rearview mirror. "Just because we're in the dark doesn't mean everyone else is. Someone somewhere has to know something."

"For sure-some."

I raised an eyebrow in question, sending him a weird look.

"What? Were we not seeing how many times we could fit 'some' into this conversation?" He grinned, hands darting to the radio.

With a sigh, I attempted to block out his off-key and over-dramatic singing to a song that was horrible enough on its own. There were plenty of places across the States where a pack of demons could be found gossiping, but only one place came to mind. It's a small bar just outside Cross City that's always crawling with demonic assholes with the occassional moronic human. If anyone knew what the hell was happening, it'd be the owner of McAnne's bar.

**( Cross City, Florida )**

"Ooo a bar. You gonna buy me a drink, Ry?"

"You're underage, idiot." I rolled my eyes, pushing the door open.

"Only buy a year!" He followed me, grabbing onto my arm.

The once rowdy bar had gone deathly silent upon our entrance. The stares we recieved were a mix of angry and suspicious, but not a single one was near friendly or inviting. I ignored them, heading over to the bartender.

"Everyone is watching us. You know that, right?"

"They know who I am."

"Then why the hell are we here?!"

The bartender set down the glass he was trying upon our arrival, his eyes narrowed and lips turned up in a scowl. "Half-breed, to what do I owe this great displeasure?"

"I'm here for Luke."

Chairs scraped the floor as several demons jumped up at the mention of the bar's owner, but the bartender calmed them down with a single raise of his hand. "Yes, he's been awaiting your arrival. I'm sure you remember the way, half-breed."

Jackson scowled at the man, making a face at him which I wasn't quite sure whether it was meant to be funny or scary, and followed me into the back of the bar. The demons who stood guard sent me disgusted glares but didn't stop us as we entered the back room. It was dark and damp inside, lit only by a single yellowing light that hung above the rounded table. Two demons, three humans, Luke, and a bunch of cards.

"Demons can play poker?" Jackson asked, his brow furrowed.

"Only because they find it amusing to watch the mental break down that accompanies most every human who loses."

"Demons are good at poker?"

"They cheat,"

"Now that makes sense."

Luke looked up from his hand and grinned. "Sorry, gentlemen. Royal flush."

When he placed the cards down on the table, the color drained from the faces of the players. The demons simply grinned at their bosses win, exchanging looks with one another, but it went completely unnoticed by the over-emotional men.

The one to Luke's left - a rather thin, frail looking man with glasses and receeding hair line - stood up on shaking legs, looking as if he could cry at any moment. "P-Please. That was my rent money. If I come home e-empty handed, my wife will k-kick me out on the street!"

Luke shrugged, not the least big interested in the man's tale. "Let this be a lesson to you, then. You shouldn't gamble. At least, not with your rent money."

The man to his right - a tall man with a beer belly and a bald head - also stood, his face turning red in anger. "You bastard, you cheated us!"

The demons also took a stand, ready to protect their leader should the option arise. The idiot gamblers probably assumed they were standing in protest as well. They really had no idea that their lives might end if they step too far, but I could see the glint of metal in the demon's hands. I knew I had to intervene.

"That's the name of the game, I'm afraid."

"You little -"

"**Shut up**," I growled, stepping forward into the light. "Wether he cheated or not is irrelevant. You shouldn't have been stupid enough to gamble away money you need, especially in a rinky dink shithole like this."

Luke shot me a look, his eyes narrowed in warning. I was probably going to regret that comment.

"You gambled. You lost. Suck it up and get over it." My eyes narrowed at the man, daring him to challenge me. He seemed to consider it, but when he saw the glint of danger in my eyes, he swallowed hard and gathered his things. With hung heads and tails tucked, the men took off. The silence that fell was quickly broken as Luke gathered the cards.

"Well, if it isn't our own little half-breed." Luke smirked, his brown eyes flashing dangerously. "I see you haven't changed. Still going around and ruining the fun."

"We all have our jobs to do, and I do mine well." I sat down across from him, Jackson on my left. "Sorry I didn't call ahead. Got a bit side-tracked."

"No matter. I knew you'd show up eventually." He shuffled the cards. "Care for a game?"

"Not interested,"

"You're no fun, Ryan Winchester. No wonder everyone hates your guts."

"Yeah, well, I'm not here to please. Down to buisness, what's going on in the demon scene?"

Luke leaned back with a thoughtful expression. "Hmm, let's see. Morgan possessed a cow recently and used it to kill the farmer family that owned it. Oh, and Darrell slaughtered this young, freaky couple while they were having se -"

"**Luke**,"

His lips curled up. "You should learn to be more specific when you ask something of a demon."

I scowled, feeling annoyance flowing through my body. Demons were all about games and never gave a straight answer. "I know the demons have been stirring lately. What's the cause?"

He signalled for his minions to leave before leaning forward. "Are you asking me how Dean Winchester escaped the firey pits of hell?"

"You know,"

"Of course I know. Why else would the entirety of hell be so spooked and restless? Once you become a resident of hell, you don't leave."

"Who would have that kind of power?" I questioned, weary of what his answer would be. If hell knows that Dean is free of its grip, there might be a price on his head to bring him back. "Jacks, go call Bobby."

Jackson looked back and forth between us before complying. Luke watched him closely, waiting until he was clear before speaking again.

"I have no idea and, quite frankly, I don't care to know. I have no connection to the Winchester family, and I intend to keep it that way." His grin was gone, his eyes as cold as ice. "With that said, perhaps it's best if you leave."

Whether he's lying or telling the truth, there's no way for me to know. At least now I know that the demons were aware of Dean's situation. Right now, the most important thing was keeping him from being sent back to hell.

"Oh and one more thing,"

I paused in the doorway, looking over my shoulder.

"If you ever insult my bar like that again, **you won't leave unharmed**."

I mentally scoffed, narrowing my eyes at the threat. "Dully noted."

When I exited the building, I was hit by a downpour of rain. Not quite enough to soak me to the bone, but enough to let everyone know that it was raining fairly hard. I sprinted across the parking lot and hopped in my car, running my hand through my short hair.

"They got Sam. He had nothing to do with this." Jackson said.

I had figured that much at least. One thing I noticed was that no demon would accept a deal from Sammy, no matter what he offered up. I suppose nothing would be as sweet to them as Dean's soul was.

"He said to meet them back at Bobby's."

"Lovely," I muttered. I knew I couldn't avoid Sammy forever. I just needed to get it over with, like one of those super-adhesive bandages.


	2. How Strange

**( Sioux Falls, South Dakota )**

I slammed my car door, taking long strides up to Bobby's house. My knuckles hit the wood impatiently as I glanced over my shoulder at Jackson. He was as chipper as ever, humming as he danced his way to the door. Twenty-two hours of listening to non-stop, glass breaking singing. The first couple hours had been fine; I was even thankful for his craziness because it gave me a break from the never-ending hell that surrounded our lives. By the fifth hour, however, my nerves had reached their limit. He wasn't even trying to sing properly, he was just yelling the words! My damn steering wheel was indented from how hard I was gripping it. I admit that I have an anger problem, but with the idiots running rampant in my life, can you really blame me?

My knuckles hit the wood harder as I grew more urgent. If he came within three feet of me right now, I'd probably hit him.**Hard**. "Come on, answer the damn door!" My hand wrapped around the door handle and turned, surprised to find it unlocked. I didn't hesitate to rush inside, heading straight for the refridgerator. "Damn it, Bobby."

Jacks stood in the doorway, plucking an earbud from his ear. "What's up? No soda?"

I fiddled with my keys. "I'm gonna go buy some. Wait here."

He shrugged in response, making himself comfortable on the couch.

When I slid into my car, a deep sigh passed my lips.

Silence. Complete silence, interupted only by the purring of the engine.

Though my temple was throbbing, I was already beginning to relax the tension in my shoulders. The weather was perfect, not too hot and not too cold with a gentle breeze, the sun covered by a big ball of fluff. A few cans of soda and I should be calm enough not to smash Jacks' face in.

Once parked, I sent a quick text to Dean asking where they were before stepping out. I didn't really expect a reply, since Dean isn't an avid texter, but at least now he knew that we're waiting at Bobby's.

The automatic doors split open and I shoved my hands in my pockets. It was a small town, the kind where everyone knew everyone. Because of that, I got my fair share of curious and suspicious looks from the residents, but their stares paled in comparison to what I'm used to getting, so it really didn't bother me.

I had planned on buying a twenty-four pack, but this small store didn't have anything quite that big, so I was left to decide between a two-liter or a twelve pack. Two-liters didn't last as long as cans because it goes flat too quickly, so I chose to grab a couple twelve packs instead. I headed for the register, only to pause in the middle of the isle. I felt someone staring at me, something not human, but nothing was there when I glanced over my shoulder. The aura I felt wasn't threatening nor was it demonic. It was unlike anything I've ever felt before, but I shrugged it off simply because I sensed no danger.

The young girl operating the register smiled kindly at me when I approached. "Hello, I haven't seen you around before... are you new in town?"

I fished out my wallet. "No, I'm here visiting an old friend."

"That's nice. Who are you visiting?" She paused, eyes sweeping the screen. "Six-fifty, please."

"Bobby Singer,"

"Oh," Her entire demeaner changed at the mention of his name. Her once bright brown eyes avoided my own as she focused on the money I handed her with tense shoulders.

I narrowed my eyes at her, keeping my tone level. "Know him?"

"No, never heard of him!" She cleared her throat after the outburst, forcing a smile. "Your change, umm, fifty cents."

I took my change with a grunt before grabbing the boxes of soda and leaving the store. The hell kind of reaction was that? Bobby is the nicest, kindness, most selfless old man on this earth and she acts like he just murdered her first born child. Just what the hell do these people think about him?

"So much for a better mood." I muttered, slamming my door and reving the engine. I tried hard not to overthink her reacting, but the possibilities behind it were just too vast for me to forget about. My phone buzzed. "What's up, Dean?"

"_Where are you?_"

"Heading back now. I had to go on an emergency soda run."

He chuckled. "_Should've known. Hurry back, Sammy wants to see you._"

I started to scoff at the thought, but turned it into a heavy cough. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Sam didn't mention how our last encounter went. "Hey, Dean?"

"_Yeah?_"

"How's Bobby's relationships with the people in this town?"

"_What?_? I could imagine his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Nothing, it's nothing. Just a random thought. I'm pulling up now." I snapped my phone shut and it slid it back into my pocket as I parked my Skyline behind the Impala. Sam, much to my surprise, was waiting outside for me. He pulled open the passenger door and grabbed the boxes. I nodded my head in acknowledgement before heading to the door.

"Ryan, wait." Sam set the boxes down on the hood before facing me with an awkward half-smile. "Can we talk?"

I shrugged a shoulder, glaring at the soda on my hood. Although I love both objects, my car was my baby and he should have known that. I swear, if that leaves a scratch on my hood, Sammy better run. "Think that's a wise choice after last time?"

He flinched a little, I noticed. "That's... that's what I want to talk to you about."

"Okay,"

He shifted, shoving his hands into his hoodie. "Listen, Ryan. About what I said... I didn't mean it, I just... I don't know. I was upset about Dean, about the fact that I couldn't save him or bring him back. And you... you disappeared! You were gone without a trace! Most of our time was spent searching for you instead of a way out! You couldn't even answer our calls... not even a text!"

My eyes narrowed at the ground, fists clenching at my sides. "You made it perfectly clear the last time we talked that it's my fault Dean went to hell, Sam. You don't have to remind me!"

"That's not, I mean, I didn't - "

"Just save it, Sam. I get it, okay?" I muttered, ignoring his calls as I turned and entered the house. Today was just not a good day, and it had only just begun.

"It's about time!" Dean grinned, giving me a one-arm hug.

I forced a smile so he wouldn't question my mood. "Find out anything?"

"Sammy had nothing to do with bringing me back." He scowled. "We're in the same position as before. Where'd you run off to?"

"I met with an informant in Florida."

"It was a waste of time, though." Jacks commented from where he stood beside Bobby. "He didn't know much more than we do."

Sam entered the living room and I pulled away from Dean, plopping onto the couch. "I don't suppose there's too much lore on breaking out of hell?"

"Unless you consider jack squat to be somethin'." Bobby commented. "I know a damn good psychic who might be able to help us identify this thing. I'll give her a call."

"You two coming with?" Dean questioned, grabbing a chair and sitting backwards in it. "It's been a while since we went hunting together."

I glanced at Sam. "There's more than enough people, what with Bobby joining you. Besides, it'll be best for us to split up so we can cover more ground. I have a few more contacts to check with."

"You can't avoid me forever, kiddo." Dean chuckled, flicking my forehead. Too bad he's not the one I'm trying to avoid. "Stay out of trouble, and don't do anything I wouldn't."

"Well that narrows it down."

"Shut up,"

"She said she'd give us a hand." Bobby re-entered the room, looking around until his eyes landed on Dean. "Let's go!"

Dean patted my shoulder before grabbing his leather jacket. He and Bobby started talking as they headed out, leaving Sam standing in the doorway, shifting awkwardly. He was staring at me, burning holes into my face, but I ignored him, pretending to be interested in one of Bobby's books.

"You should hurry before they leave you behind."

He looked at me, looked at the door, then back at me before finally leaving without a word. Jackson closed his book and plopped down beside me on the couch. He was staring at me, his lip between his teeth - a sure sign that he had something on his mind, but was torn about saying anything.

I raised a brow in question. "What's on your mind?"

He shifted in his seat. "Correct me if I'm wrong, which I might just be since I don't know him as well as you do. I mean, he's your family so of cource you - "

"Spit it out, Jacks."

"Doeshemaybeseemstrangetoyounotlikehahastrangebutlikewoahstrange?"

I deadpanned, resisting the urge to hit him with the couch cushion. "Try again, this time in English."

"I don't know. Sam just... he seems... strange, you know?"

"Strange how?" I racked my brain, thinking back to our earlier conversation. I hadn't really focused much on him, more concerned with focusing on anything else. Had he been acting different?

Jackson shook his head, offering a small smile. "Know what, it's probably just me. I mean, if you didn't sense anything, it's probably nothing."

"Strange how?" I repeated.

He played with a loose string on his jeans. "His aura seems different somehow. Darker, almost. It's almost like... like yours."

My eyes narrowed. "Demonic?"

"Don't take my word for it!" He hopped off the couch, waving his arms frantically. "I'm not like you and Lulu, I can't sense auras as well as you two!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the throbbing in my temple return. "Let it go for now. The next time Sam's around, I want you to keep him distracted."

Jacks seemed unsure. "And if I'm wrong? You two are already on edge, I don't want to make it worse!"

"And if you're right, that means he's doing something stupid that he doesn't want us to know about." I narrowed my eyes. "Stupid decisions run in this family, especially where those two are concerned."


End file.
